ICSI Outcome is not Associated with the Incidence of Spermatozoa with Abnormal Chromatin Condensation

Abstract

Background: The condensation of sperm chromatin during spermiogenesis and epididymal transport is of essential importance for fertilization. The main purpose of this study was to examine whether abnormalities of sperm nuclear condensation can influence the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. Materials and Methods: Semen samples from 154 ICSI cycles were studied. Before semen preparation for ICSI, basic semen analysis was performed and a small portion from each sample was fixed. The condensation of sperm nuclear chromatin was evaluated with chromomycin A3 under a fluorescence microscope. Results: The incidence of spermatozoa with abnormal chromatin condensation was positively correlated with sperm concentration (p=0.020565), but was not correlated with other semen parameters such as morphology and motility. Abnormal chromatin condensation was also not correlated with fertilization rate, cumulative embryo score or pregnancy rate. Conclusion: The above results indicate that ICSI outcome is not influenced by the incidence of spermatozoa with abnormal chromatin condensation.